Arsenal transfer news today: Done deals, live updates and rumours - July 28

Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live Arsenal transfer news blog on Tuesday, July 28!

Stay up to date with all of the latest developments surrounding the incomings and outgoings at the Emirates Stadium, as head coach Mikel Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta prepare the Gunners for their Premier League title defence.

Today's Arsenal transfer headlines

Mikel Arteta 'smitten' with Arsenal's top target

Arsenal contract boost confirmed as 15-year-old wonderkid signs scholarship terms

Arsenal transfer news today: What's happening on July 28?

The story that arrived and reshaped Arsenal's entire window on July 27 was Arteta becoming 'smitten with the prospect of signing Vinicius Junior, so much so that the Real Madrid forward has become the club's undisputed number one target, with the pursuit approved at every level of the club including the playing squad itself.

No club-to-club contact has yet been made, and those inside Arsenal acknowledge a deal would be the largest in the club's history, but the contract situation provides genuine leverage.

Vinicius is 26, in the prime of his career and has entered the final year of his Real Madrid deal, with talks between the player and the club scheduled for the end of July.

Should those negotiations stall, Real Madrid would face losing one of football's most recognisable players on a free transfer in the summer of 2027, a prospect that could force Jose Mourinho's hand despite his public resistance to the idea.

Sports Mole published two analysis pieces on July 27 examining the financial structure of any potential Vinicius deal and the tactical implications for Arteta's squad, alongside three possible alternatives for Arsenal should the Vinicius pursuit not advance quickly enough.

Academy news also arrived on July 27, with Arsenal confirming that Ethan Nwaneri's younger brother has signed a scholarship deal and a pre-agreed professional contract, the latter of which is set to activate on his 17th birthday in August 2027.